


the beginning

by eerieel



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Gen, theyre kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 14:59:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17624573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerieel/pseuds/eerieel
Summary: this was gonna be the first chapter to femslash february but guess who gave up on that!!





	the beginning

Adora was exhausted. She had been training eight hours a day, everyday except Friday. It was her very first week of this training cycle, and at four years old she already knew how to throw a spear and how to attack any sort of enemy.

She tossed and turned in her bunk, unable to sleep although wanting to. Adora was the only one in her bunk, taking the bottom because she couldn't reach the top. Other cadets of different species and ages filled up the other bunks. They slept peacefully at three in the morning, while Adora was not so lucky.

The lady named Shadow Weaver had made Adora feel right at home. She had found Adora shivering on the outskirts of the Fright Zone two years ago, and took her in.

Adora wasn’t dumb, though. She saw other kids walking around with their parents, watching them train. Even if she tried to the best of her ability, she could never remember what her life was before the Horde.

She had tried asking Shadow Weaver about it, but her questions were always dismissed with a different variation of “It’s unimportant, you're here now. The Horde is your home, Adora.” She learned not to dwell on it, as nobody would tell her anything about her past. 

Finally giving up trying to fall asleep, Adora rolled onto her back and spread her arms out. She sighed as she stared at the etchings in the wood above her.

_ princesses are dumb _

_ i <3 hordak _

_ shadow weaver is a bitch _

_ v.s. + j.d. 4eva _

She squinted at the third phrase, trying to figure out what the last word was. Her train of thought was interrupted as the door to the bunks opened and a familiar voice echoed through the room. She turned on her side, closed her eyes quickly and listened.

“What a waste of space,” Shadow Weaver groaned. “I'll dispose of her tomorrow morning.”

Adora heard heavy footsteps get closer to where she was. She opened an eye to see Shadow Weaver carrying a small cardboard box towards her. Not wanting to be caught awake, she shut her eyes again.

She heard Shadow Weaver stop right before her. She could almost feel the woman's eyes burning into her skull, examining every inch of her. Adora steadied her breathing as best as she could.

Shadow Weaver groaned again, and dropped the cardboard box on the top bunk. Adora opened her eyes again as Shadow Weaver turned and walked away. The room went silent again.

Getting up slowly, Adora tried to reach the top bunk. There were no ladders, so she had to jump. She was able to grab onto the bar holding the bed up, but fell back on the ground with a loud thud. She glared at the top bunk as if it had pushed her down.

A small head peeked over the side, just enough for Adora to be able to see a pair of eyes and… cat ears? The eyes were a bright yellow and turquoise, staring right at her. She stood up and stared back.

“Hi,” Adora whispered, trying to see more of the figure. “My name’s Adora.”

The figure sat up. “Hey, Adora,” she whispered back, revealing herself to be a little girl-slash-cat, probably the same age as Adora. “My name’s Catra. I just got here.”

“I know. I was awake,” Adora said matter-of-factly. She squinted. “Can you come down here? I can’t see you.”

Catra jumped swiftly off the top bunk, landing right next to Adora. Adora looked her up and down, eyes wide.

“Woah…” she said, admiring the cat-like figure. “Are you a real cat?”

Catra’s face flushed and she crossed her arms, embarrassed. “What? No. What even is a cat? They sound stupid.”

Adora giggled. “No, silly, cats are cute! And they've got ears and tails like you! Except they're really small.”

“Well, I’m not small  _ or _ cute, so I must not be a cat.” Catra said with a smirk.

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say, Catra!” Adora exclaimed, emphasizing the ‘cat’ in her name. “Also, you  _ are _ cute.”

She was suddenly tackled to the ground. “Nobody gets to call me cute!” The other girl said with a smile, wrestling Adora.

“Oh yeah?” Adora shouted, rolling herself over so that she was above Catra. “Well you're  _ really _ cute!”

A loud “ugh” could be heard, followed by an annoyed “shut up” from one of the older cadets, Octavia.  They burst into giggles and let themselves fall to the floor.

Suddenly, the doors to the bunks burst open. Shadow Weaver walked quickly through them, straight towards Adora and Catra. There was no way of getting out of trouble.

“Adora,” Shadow Weaver said. She glared at Catra. “Don't let this feline keep you from sleeping. You're going to need the rest if you want to make your way to the top. Don't you want that, Adora?”

Adora stood up. “Yes, Shadow Weaver, but it's not her fault, I was already awake!”

“Exactly what I mean. If she had not caused such a disturbance outside, you would be fast asleep.” Shadow Weaver looked pleased with herself. “She'll be out of here by tomorrow morning.”

Catra’s breath hitched from behind Adora. Adora looked back at her and took her hand. “No, Shadow Weaver, please! Let her stay! I’ll make sure she catches up on training!”

“Very well then, Adora,” Shadow Weaver replied. “However, if she is not up to date on training  _ and  _ simulations by the end of the week, she leaves.”

Adora nodded. “Good night, Shadow Weaver.”

Shadow Weaver said nothing and walked out of the room. Adora turned to face Catra, still holding her hand. “I don't like her,” Catra murmured.

She hugged her, and Catra’s tail wrapped around their legs. When they pulled apart, Catra jumped the top bunk with ease. Adora pulled her blanket over her and began to drift off. 

Before she did, though, a weight settled near her legs. She smiled as she opened her eyes to see Catra already dozing off. Adora closed her eyes again and did the same.


End file.
